1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally the management of cabling and, more specifically, a cable management device is presented to manage excess lengths of cabling used to transfer data between electronic devices.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Modern computing systems are becoming more interconnected such that data transfers take place between adjacent units. For example, computer servers forming a local-area network (LAN) or other network are typically connected together with one or more electrical or optical cables that are designed to carry commands and other data therebetween. These servers may be rack-mounted or otherwise stored in spaced relation to one another.
It is often necessary to move interconnected servers towards or away from one another to, for example, perform maintenance on one of the servers. It is desirable leave the cables electrically connected between the servers during such service. Therefore, cables are generally provided with sufficient length as to create slack in the cables when servers are properly stored, so that a range of movement between the servers is provided. This slack, however, may cause the cable to become entangled with other cables or computer system components, which interferes with the movement of a server out of the rack or storage area. Additionally, the entangling of cables makes it difficult to determine the specific route of an individual cable and the servers that are interconnected thereby.
Various devices have been created to manage cable slack. Some common designs include mechanically retracting arms or spring-loaded roller devices that capture a section of cabling and move the section to a designated location. While these devices have some utility, their mechanical nature leads to a number of drawbacks, including required maintenance of moving parts, excess bulk and large cost to acquire. Some mechanical-type cable management devices also require the cabling to be pre-built into the device, such that the cable is difficult to remove.